“That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, AND the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.”
—Philippians 3:10-11
A godly man should be:
- Saved and born again (John 3:3, Titus 3:5)
- Christ-centered (Phil. 1:21, Col. 3:1-4)
- Humble (James 4:6, Micah 6:8)
- Strong in truth (Eph. 6:10-14)
- Self-controlled (1 Cor. 9:25-27, Gal. 5:22-23)
- Faithful to his wife (Eph. 5:25-28, Prov. 5:18-19)
- A loving leader in the home (Eph. 5:23, Josh. 24:15)
- Gentle, not harsh (Col. 3:19, 2 Tim. 2:24-25)
- Willing to repent (Psalm 51, 1 John 1:9)
- Disciplined in his mind and habits (Prov. 25:28)
- Hard-working (Prov. 14:23, 2 Thess. 3:10)
- Generous (Acts 20:35, 2 Cor. 9:7)
- Courageous (1 Cor. 16:13)
- Prayerful (1 Thess. 5:17)
- Grounded in Scripture (Psalm 1:1-3, 2 Tim. 3:16-17)
- Slow to anger (James 1:19-20)
- Honest and trustworthy (Prov. 12:22)
- Sexually pure (1 Thess. 4:3-5, Matt. 5:27-28)
- Watchful over his heart (Prov. 4:23)
- Says no to temptation (Titus 2:11-12)
- A servant, not a tyrant (Mark 10:42-45)
- Willing to sacrifice for others (John 15:13)
- Unashamed of the Gospel (Rom. 1:16)
- Protective of his family (Neh. 4:14)
- Not lazy or passive (Prov. 24:30-34)
- Teachable (Prov. 9:9)
- Respectful toward women (1 Pet. 3:7)
- Loving toward children (Psalm 127:3-5, Eph. 6:4)
- Wise with words (Prov. 18:21)
- Patient in suffering (Rom. 5:3-5)
- Content, not greedy (Heb. 13:5)
- A man of integrity in private and public (Psalm 15)
- Devoted to the local church (Heb. 10:24-25)
- Ready to forgive (Eph. 4:31-32)
- Focused on eternity, not the world (1 John 2:15-17)
- Hungry for holiness (1 Pet. 1:15-16)
- Dependent upon God's grace every day (John 15:5)
Biblical masculinity is not arrogance, abuse, or chest-thumping bravado, but a godly man submits himself to Christ, carries responsibility, loves sacrificially, stands firmly on truth, and walks in holiness.
Believers - at your workplace:
1. Don't complain
2. Watch your words
3. Encourage others
4. Pray for your team
5. Walk away from gossip
6. Work like it's worship
7. Do everything with excellence
Honor Christ in all you do.
“If you ask, 'Why is this happening?' no light may come, but if you ask, 'How am I to glorify God now?' there will always be an answer.”
—– J.I. Packer
Breathe.
Close the app.
Remember God has filled the world with beauty and grace.
Give yourself permission to rightly enjoy life and its good blessings (1 Tim. 6:17).
Go outside.
Breathe.
Let it suffice you, as it sufficed Mary, to know that God knows. If it’s time to work, get on with your job. If it’s time to go to bed, go to sleep in peace. Let the Lord of the Universe do the worrying.” - Elisabeth Elliot, Newsletter 1988
RULES OF LIVING WITH PEOPLE
1. When you meet young people - INSPIRE THEM.
2. When you meet children - EDUCATE THEM.
3. When you meet old people - HELP THEM.
4. When you meet wise people - STUDY THEM.
5. When you meet leaders - HONOUR THEM.
6. When you meet foolish people - AVOID THEM.
7. When you meet humble people - TREASURE THEM.
8. When you meet arrogant people - IGNORE THEM.
9. When you meet gracious people - EMULATE THEM.
10. When you meet aspirational people - ELEVATE THEM.
11. When you meet strong people - SUPPORT THEM.
12. When you meet godly people - BLESS THEM.
13. When you meet elderly people - RESPECT THEM.
14. When you meet weak people - STRENGTHEN THEM.
15. When you meet hardworking people - ENCOURAGE THEM.
16. When you meet kind people - ESTEEM THEM.
17. When you meet Honest people -
PROMOTE THEM.
18. When you meet virtuous people - REWARD THEM.
19. When you meety evil people - EVADE THEM.
20. And in all situation “ Watch, Pray and wish everyone well.
Am I shaped more by the liturgies of 30 second social media algorithm feed or by the life long and rhythmic practices of grace; prayer, worship, silence, contemplation, community - that stretch over years and rooted in eternity, not seconds?
"Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage.
Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are”
– Attributed (without evidence) to St Augustine.
One of the toughest seasons in marriage is the toddler-baby combo.
This is our fourth time going through it and it doesn’t get any easier.
Early this year for almost 3 months they were both sick.
My wife and I were sleeping in separate rooms just to keep them from waking each other up. Not that it’s helped much because the first few weeks they were waking up every hour.
I took care of the toddler; she handled the baby.
Vince Lombardi once said:
“Fatigue makes cowards of us all.”
When you’re exhausted, you’re more likely to snap, get irritated, or feel overwhelmed.
We’ve even had a few arguments and later just chalked them up to being tired.
So how do we get through it?
Three things: grace, communication, and a rallying cry.
First, grace. Let’s break this down real quick:
Justice = Getting what you deserve.
Mercy = Not getting what you deserve.
Grace = Not only not getting what you deserve but also receiving a gift.
If my wife snaps at me, I try not to fire back. Instead, I give her grace. And she does the same for me.
The thing about grace is that You don’t deserve it.
That’s the point.
The second key?
Communicating.
Me letting her know where I’m at and her letting me know where she’s at.
In the morning, my wife will say, “I’m sorry if I’m grumpy today. I’m just not sleeping.”
It reminds me: Oh yeah, she’s exhausted too. That little moment shifts my mindset.
Instead of focusing on how I feel, I start thinking, What can I do to help her?
And when I say the same thing to her, she gets it.
It also keeps me accountable.
Being tired isn’t a free pass to be an ass.
Just because I’m exhausted doesn’t mean I get to take it out on my family.
A Rallying Cry.
We knew having baby #5 and #6 would be tough.
We thought we were done at four because the baby-toddler combo is so demanding.
We made the decision knowing what was being asked of both of us.
And we knew there’d be weeks like tired and running on fumes.
But we have a phrase we come back to:
“There’s no one else I’d rather do this with.”
When you’re up at 2 AM, holding a sick kid who’s spitting up, and you instinctively catch it with your hands just to keep it off the bed, you just look at each other and think, There’s nobody else I’d rather do this with.
Because this is life.
The real stuff. The exhausting, messy, middle-of-the-night moments.
And a few years later in your quiet moments you get to say “remember when” and you both say “yeah, that sucked” and you laugh.
But you did it together because there’s no one else you wanted to do it with.
We need believers around the world to compose songs out of their histories and experiences walking with Jesus, and we need churches in the West to receive those songs, translate them, and sing them.
https://t.co/Sp28oSbrMD
Frenzy does not befit the faithful.
“Thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,
‘In returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.’” Isaiah 30:15
The Bible Reading Order That Actually Changes You
Most Christians read the Bible randomly and wonder why they're not growing.
Here's the battle-tested reading plan that builds warriors, not wanderers:
Phase 1: Learn How to Fight
Start with 1 Peter. It'll teach you what suffering as a Christian actually means. It'll kill your selfish ambition and show you why following God for personal gain is spiritual suicide.
Then hit these in order:
- 1 & 2 Corinthians (church mess and how to fix it)
- Ephesians (spiritual warfare manual)
- Philippians (joy in prison)
- 1 & 2 Thessalonians (end times reality check)
- 1 & 2 Timothy (leadership under fire)
- James (faith that actually works)
- 2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude (false teachers exposed)
These books don't just tell you stories. They teach you:
- How to BE a Christian, not just play one
- Who God actually is vs. who you think He is
- What He'll do for you (and what He won't)
- His promises that never fail
- His personality that terrifies demons
Phase 2: Learn How to Worship
Psalms. All of it.
This is where you learn God's emotional range. His fury. His tenderness. His jealousy. His love. This is where you learn to pray like you're in a war zone, because you are.
Phase 3: Learn How to Conquer
Joshua and Judges.
Watch what happens when God's people obey.
Watch what happens when they don't.
Watch how quickly victory becomes defeat when you forget who's really in charge.
This isn't a reading plan for information.
It's a training manual for transformation.
Most "Bible reading plans" are designed to make you feel accomplished.
This one is designed to make you dangerous.
Stop reading Scripture like it's homework.
Start reading it like it's intel for tomorrow's battle.
Your enemy reads it too.
The difference is, he believes it.
Time you did the same.
“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains; it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” - C.S. Lewis
We Understand by Faith
The Christian is told that he understands "by faith." For instance, if we have major surgery, we trust the surgeon even though we have no real understanding of how he is going to operate on us. We have to trust him or there will be no operation. We understand that he has the ability to make us well, so we choose to have faith in him and his abilities. In the same manner, we trust God. Many have died at the hands of surgeons, but no one perishes who places himself or herself in the hands of God. His ability is boundless and His promises are "an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast."( Hebrews 6:19) Doctors and pilots will fail you, friends you trust will disappoint you, elevators will let you down, but the promises of Almighty God are utterly trustworthy.
There goes another minute. Gone forever. Go share your faith while you still have time.
The Christian life is lived through constant renewal of the mind through the Word of God.
The Word listened to. The Word read. The Word meditated on. The Word applied. The Word discussed. The Word prayed.
It is the fundamental daily habit of the Christian.